Driven By Reason, Pursuing Our Progress

Science-based evidence for change

Change is evident.

Learn more about what drives us.

Mission

The Party of Reason and Progress (PORP) is an organization dedicated to promoting reason and empirically sound decision-making in modern politics. Our mission is to implement effective and rational policies through educating the general public and supporting reasonable and logical public officials and initiatives.

Purpose

The Party seeks, above all, to produce positive change within the political system. Our priorities are to influence politics in four largely interrelated areas: human rights, secularism, evidence-based policymaking, and respectful, nonpartisan dialogue. We seek to promote neither liberal nor conservative principles; rather, we wish to influence politics based on the idea that, when reasonable people are elected, productive dialogue follows.

Strategy

The Party is to function at times as a political action committee and at others as a political party. Our primary function is to advocate for individuals and groups that share our values, harnessing the power of local organizations to steer the course of political discourse toward more productive, science-based policies. We will educate the public, support existing initiatives within any parties as long as they align with our mission, and lobby for important issues where appropriate.

Human Rights

We, as a Party, hold human rights to be sacrosanct. We hold that every human being is equally worthy of legal protection and human respect. We hold that laws specifically designed to discriminate against any specific group or class should be fought, and that all members of society must know that they are welcome within it. We resolve to utilize rationality, not ideology, in the interest of protecting human life to the greatest extent possible.

Secularism

We, as a Party, hold secularism to be an essential principle of any free State. Of special importance to the fabric of society are the co-existing principles of free worship and freedom from worship. We hold, as a Party, that laws designed to promote the existence or status of any religious group or irreligious group, including religion or irreligion itself, are incompatible with the very nature of a free State. We further resolve to ensure that the Government is neutral in all matters religious, and to safeguard zealously the principle of Separation of Church and State.

Nonpartisan Dialogue

We, as a Party, hold that in order for reason to flourish, politicians and activists must be able to exchange ideas, especially if those ideas conflict. To that end, we resolve to support politicians and political strategies that compromise across party lines in order to enact effective and rational legislation. We will actively oppose policies of any affiliation that undermine the principles of reason and respect. We will work against any policies or political actions serving to attack, divide, or obstruct progress.

Evidence-based Policymaking

We, as a Party, hold that reason and not ideology must dictate policymaking. Evidence must guide the reasoning of those choosing the direction of any country, and any politician who is unwilling to examine empirical evidence risks damaging their constituents’ livelihood. We hold that the scientific method, wherever possible, should be the guiding ideal behind rational policies enacted by our government, and that scientific fact and peer-reviewed research should be held above party lines or personal ideology. We resolve to support politicians of any affiliation who endorse our values, think scientifically, and who are willing to change their beliefs when faced with new evidence. We will also oppose any political ideology that ignores clear fact and evidence in service of expediency.

Conclusion

We hold these priorities to be the guiding forces behind any policy stance adopted by the Party, and commit to actively affecting reform wherever necessary. Furthermore, we commit, as a Party, to allow diversity of opinion within our ranks, and to promote these same principles within our organizations. We hope for people across the political spectrum to cooperate for the benefit of rational and reasonable legislation while freely exchanging ideas in a fertile, respectful atmosphere.

This platform is not a complete list of every idea on which we have a position, but it is a sample of our most urgent priorities as we traverse this new political landscape. The Party of Reason and Progress is an organization dedicated to promoting evidence-based ideas, and as such we remain open to amendments regarding our platform, especially in the face of scientific data.